During a media presentation at the post-election parliamentary induction in Mombasa last week, lawmakers went hammer and tongs on the two representatives from the Media Council of Kenya (MCK) and Kenya Editors Guild (KEG), David Omwoyo and Martin Mutua, respectively.

The legislators raised a raft of concerns ranging from discrimination against women politicians, indecent/explicit dressing by female journalists, extortion and lack of objectivity in coverage of political events, especially ahead of last year’s General Election. 

To their credit, Omwoyo and Mutua responded to the claims calmly, reasonably and collectively. What they did not do, however —  rightly so — was to publicly admit all is not well in the media fraternity since some of the issues raised by the MPs were true.

A fortnight ago, the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) secretary general, Erick Oduor, was quoted as saying: “Two decades ago, when a journalist arrived at a meeting everyone wanted to sit next to them. That is not the case today because whenever a journalist arrives at an event everyone wants to move away because they fear the next thing the journalist will be doing will be to ask for money from them.”   The two scenarios point to a problem which we in the industry are afraid of confronting. We have buried our heads in the sand for too long. Two decades, if Oduor’s estimation is anything to go by. 

Kenya and Zambia have gone down in history as the only countries where the mainstream media gangs up, whether willingly, through coercion or inducement, to vigorously campaign for the eventual loser in a presidential contest.

In the Zambia scenario of August 2021, the State compelled the entire mainstream media to throw its weight behind the incumbent – Edgar Lungu, who was running against the Opposition Hakandile Hichilema. The media churned out copy after copy and opinion polls every day portraying Lungu as the outright winner with over  90 per cent of the vote.

The voters did not agree. When the presidential results were announced, Lungu had lost to Hichilema who had amassed 57.4 per cent of the vote against the president’s 37.3 per cent. Kenya’s case was not widely dissimilar. The mainstream media marketed the Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga as the winner, though with a smaller margin. Many journalist of repute, both in print and electronic media, placed their bets with the Azimio contender.

Like in Zambia, the Kenyan voter disagreed with the predictions of the media. They voted in someone else; William Ruto of the Kenya Kwanza coalition, though with a tiny margin. 

The scenarios surrounding the mainstream media coverage of the last elections in Zambia and Kenya present a question as to whether the public still believes the media or, if indeed, it should. The coverage of the 2022 General Election has eaten into the respect and standing of many journalists of repute. This is a matter that should concern members of the Fourth Estate.

Corruption-related claims against the media have become more than countable. The MCK, KEG and KUJ  must muster the courage to confront this menace head on. By confrontation I mean facing up to the claims with a view to admitting or challenging them. Looking the other side gives the impression of admission of guilt as charged. 

This conversation should not be left to silently vanish into thin air. Stakeholder voices must step up to the plate and make their views known. Purporting to sweep the issue under the carpet only helps to fuel a plea of guilt on the part of news purveyors, regardless of who makes the allegations.

In spite of all the barbs hurled towards it, to date the media remains the most trusted institution in Kenya as the watchdog of the public, especially in the fight against corruption.  At no time should the media be seen to be abetting, embracing, kissing or sleeping with corruption or its perpetrators. It is time to act. 

—The author is the Revise Editor with the People Daily. 

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